Career Ready 

From left, Joy Darko, Tyra Mallett and Taylor Grant model career clothes for Friday's Career Ready Fashion Show. (Photo by Brian Busher)

ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 13, 2018) – How do you dress for your first job in the corporate world without losing your unique identity?

Find out at the Career Ready Fashion Show on Friday, Feb. 16, in the Campus Center Ballroom. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the show starts at 8 p.m. DJ Syxxfiggaz will provide the music.

The event is part of Career Week.

“We want to highlight diversity in the professional realm. We want to focus on women in suits, how to wear your natural hair, hijab, turban or a specific print while being professional,” said Assistant Director for Employer Relations Tibisay Hernandez, Office of Career & Professional Development. “It is all about incorporating who you are into spaces where unspoken norms have stayed rigid throughout time. Fashion is a form of self-expression and, most importantly, when you feel good in your clothes, you feel more confident. Confidence is a key element to being a great employee.”

“First impressions are an important part of any industry,” said Hernandez. “Our goal is always to empower students to curate the story they want employers to see. Your resume, interview and first impression are all trailers to your movie; and how many times do you select a movie if the trailer is not great? This is all about ensuring you convey to others the person you want to be in your career.”

Hernandez is working with the student group Fashion Association for Collegiate Entrepreneurs (FACE) to present Friday’s show. FACE President Tyra Mallett, a senior communication major and business minor from Yonkers, N.Y., said the group of more than 100 students is an outlet for those who want a career in fashion and business.

Mallett credited Mary Johnson of the Development Office with being instrumental in helping the group network with UAlbany alumni in the fashion industry. Mallett, FACE Vice President Taylor Grant and Programming Director Joy Darko are among those modeling career wear for the show.

Grant, a senior economics major from Baldwin, N.Y., said he hopes to head into the retail and consumer investment banking industry after graduation. The limited number of minorities in this industry can be intimidating. But, he welcomes the challenge. Through activities like the show, he said students learn “that they shouldn’t be nervous to enter a specific industry because they don’t see people who look like them. As future leaders, it’s imperative that we embrace our diverse backgrounds, contribute our unique perspectives in our future work environments and be open to learning about the backgrounds of others.”

Darko, a sophomore from the Syracuse area majoring in business with a concentration in marketing, said, “The fashion show will demonstrate to the UAlbany community how it is possible to be able to work in a professional setting without losing yourself. Coming from a family of Ghanaian immigrants, I grew up wearing bright cultural fabrics as normal attire. I plan on integrating these fabrics in subtle ways that will allow me to wear my culture on my sleeve.”

Other workshops during Career Week include:

• Tonight at 7 p.m. in Humanities 109 – The Great Pretender. How to overcome “imposter syndrome” – that feeling you don’t deserve the opportunities you are receiving. How do you fit in in a workplace where you are surrounded by graduates of private Ivy League schools?
• Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in the CC multi-purpose room – The Labor Pains of my Career! Hear from a panel of women on how to navigate your career as a woman.
• Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. in the CC multi-purpose room – Out for Work. What are your rights in the work space and how do you navigate them as a member of the LGBTQ community? How can others be allies for their LGBTQ colleagues?
• Thursday, Feb. 15 – Tailor Made Day. Want to get a suit tailored but think it’s too expensive? Have professional tailors take your measurements, pick up coupons from Macy’s and hear about their management program. Also, grooming and beauty workshops.

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